


Utopia

by zenigame



Category: Bleach
Genre: AU, F/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-09 23:57:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2002965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenigame/pseuds/zenigame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We stay in here. They stay out there. It's the way it's been for hundreds of years now. Nobody dare question the law or rebel and go outside the walls to see for themselves. The few that have, have merely returned as mangled corpses as a warning not to trespass on their land. But there was no law about them coming onto our land." Rated M for violence and possibly sexual in future chapters. More characters introduced too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue

~#~  
“We stay in here.  
They stay out there.  
It’s the way it’s been for hundreds of years now. Nobody dare question it or go outside the walls to see for themselves. The few that have, have merely returned as mangled corpses as a warning not to trespass on their land.  
But there was no law about them coming onto our land.”  
~#~  
Rukia slowly walked around the large oak tree that stood proudly next to the gate that opened into the 78th Rukongai district. The load of branches on her back weighed her down, so every step she made was sluggish and slow.  
She had lived in the Rukongai for her short 15 years of life. After being abandoned by her sister, a kind old woman took her in and adopted her as her very own grandchild. Rukia was well behaved and didn’t question why they were kept in the vicinity of fifty feet brick walls. She had simply accepted the fact that this is where she was going to be for the rest of her life.  
A few spots of rain landed on the earth around her, darkening the mud so Rukia picked up the pace as fast as she could and headed for the entrance. A select few from each household were allowed to venture into the vast lands of the Seireitei to collect firewood or hunt animals to live a sustainable life within the walls.  
AS she hurried towards the gate, the rain started to fall more heavily and Rukia knew the guards would be getting annoyed from the downpour. However she couldn’t care less, the guards couldn’t catch a rabbit if it was handed to them on a silver platter. They were good for nothing royals who only got the job because they ‘know people’.  
I could do a better job than them with my eyes closed, Rukia thought as she trudged along in the mud. Her mid-length raven locks stuck to her porcelain cheeks as she whipped her head around to get a clearer look at the blur she had just seen from the corner of her eye.  
Paranoia began to settle in as she quickened her steps. The gate was in her sites now, only a few more minutes...  
“Argh~!” A deafening screech came from behind Rukia as something slammed harshly into her back.  
Whipping around on the balls of her feet, she saw it.  
Its skin looked as if it was rotting away from the muscles underneath it. Its legs stood at an awkward angle as it tried to pick itself up from the wet ground while its arms flailed like a chicken trying to fly. There were no lips surrounding its mouth, only rotten flesh. With no hair on its head and only a few fingers remaining on its hands. Rukia knew exactly what it was.  
The Infected.  
~#~


	2. Chapter 2

~#~  
"The virus was created for executional purposes. They had wanted a way for prisoners and no-goods to die in an easy way so the clean up was quick and effective.  
However they didn't expect the virus to mutate at the speed it did and break out of the labs in which it was created.  
That was how The Infected were born.  
Soon after the population dwindled and humanity was close to extinction, the Seireitei built the walls.   
Separating them from us.  
The H virus still runs rabid outside the walls. Creating those awful, blood thirsty monsters that will do utmost anything for food. However, due to hundreds of years without any human contact, The Infected don't seem to be dying out. The only hypothesis the Seireitei can come up with are, either we aren't their only source of food or they only eat human for the fun of it.  
And now we're stuck in here and they're out there, but they're breaking in and we have to fight."  
~#~  
"Close the gate! There's been a breach in the wall!"  
"No! Wait!" Rukia did her best to fight off the monster, the sticks she had been carrying had fallen off her back and she had managed to pick up the thickest one off the ground to use as an improvised weapon. She swung blindly at the Infected, hitting it in it's head and knocking it to the ground a few times, however it was relentless, it just kept coming back for more after Rukia had hit it with all her might.  
She knew they were quite powerful anyway, yet she still seemed to have blind confidence in herself that she could fight one off, but that theory was proving to be a fairy tale and her energy levels were close to none.  
"Argh~!" It let out another ear-bursting shriek as it ran forward to attack Rukia. Its mouth hung open like a hungry wolf with saliva dripping off its chin.  
Disgusting, ugly thing! Rukia thought as it was only a meter away. She stumbled back and the heel of her foot had hit something hard, causing her to fall back onto her backside, she raised her right arm in front of her head in an attempt to protect herself from the oncoming Infected. Not knowing that she was making the gravest mistake while attacking one of them. It grabbed her by the wrist and elbow and happily sunk its teeth into Rukia's forearm.  
"Shall we still close the gate, Sir?" A guard asked his superior as they stood watching the morbid scene in front of them.  
"Yes, she's as good as dead now." He replied while waving his hand in a circular motion in order for the gate to be closed.  
Unable to even scream, Rukia lazily pushed and clawed at its head in attempt to get it off. Her attempted went unnoticed at it sunk its teeth in deeper, creating tiny little blood bubbles around its teeth and puncture holes. Rukia's normally bright blue eyes, darkening at the image and she finally realised that this was her time.  
She didn't want to get all soppy about her death, she had had a good life and there was nothing for her to complain about. Yes, maybe it would have been nice to die in a more sanitized and less painful way. However she wasn't one to complain, she had lived in a shit-hole for her whole life so dying might come as a luxury, she didn't really know.  
Blood seeped out of the still occupied wound on her arm, the red liquid squirted onto her porcelain face and created a horrible dark/light comparison. Rukia's eyes started to roll back inside her skull, when suddenly there was a blur that moved at lightning speed in front of her.  
Her eyes drooped and she fell to the floor in exhaustion. There was no more Infected clinging onto her arm, only a disgusting blood and pus filled wound that would be a pain to clean. Oh well, I'm going to die anyway. They won't need to clean it, she thought as her arm dropped back down onto the floor in front of her. Pulling herself into a foetal position, Rukia looked to see what other horrible, disgusting creature had came to finish her off.  
It was all happening too quickly, her tired eyes couldn't keep up with the actions.  
What looked like a human to Rukia, was beating The Infected to within an inch of its life. The human pinned it to the floor and repeatedly punched it in the face with its bare fists. Sickening crunches were heard while blood splattered around its head like holy light.  
The smell hit Rukia and she threw up where she lay, rotting flesh and blood was a rancid smell and not one you’d like to remember. When all her supper was deposited onto the mud in front of her, Rukia hadn't even noticed that it was now turning dark and the rain continued to fall from the overcast sky.  
"Ahh~!" She heard a scream, however it didn't sound like the shrieks she had heard earlier from The Infected, it sounded more... Human. Punching the thing in the face a good few more times, the human reached beside himself and picked up a very large rock. He held it at chest level and effortlessly dropped it on The Infected’s skull.  
The sound its skull getting crushed filled the air while more blood splattered onto the earth. The blood soaked human rolled off the lifeless corpses and crawled over to where Rukia was lay.  
"Are you okay?" A masculine voice asked.  
"Do I look okay!?" She tried to make her voice sound sarcastic and annoyed, however it came across as sad and pleading.  
"Well you look like shit, to be honest. But I didn't want to insult a lady." He replied while gently sliding his arms under her shoulders and knees. The action created a jolt of pain through Rukia's stomach and she began violently coughing and blood trickled out from the side of her mouth. "Shit, I'm taking you to go see my Dad."  
Rukia didn't reply, or rather she couldn't reply. The world around her was spinning uncontrollably and her brain felt like it was slowly turning to mush.  
Why did he help her? This boy had risked his life for her and all she could do was throw up blood onto his shirt. And now he was going to take her to go see his Father? What? She could feel consciousness slipping away and her thoughts all jumbling together.  
My name is Rukia Kuchiki. I am 14 yea- no! 15 years old! I live in the 48th Rukongai district and we are stuck within these four walls because of The Infect-  
"Hey dumbass! Let us in, this girl is injured!" The deep rumbling from his chest vibrated through Rukia, hitting her with another wave of nausea.  
"There's no way in hell we're letting her in here! She's been bitten! She's gonna turn into one of them!"  
Really? Am I really going to turn into one of those monsters? She questioned herself as she had totally forgotten about the bite on her forearm. Being reminded of it now made it sting like crazy, she brought it up for inspection and saw a sight for sore eyes.  
The bitten area looked like it had doubled in size. Blood and pus was being pushed out of the five teeth shaped puncture wounds from what looked like the top row of teeth and seven from the bottom row. The area was clearly infected and trying to push it out. Her skin looked as if it was rotting away, how this boy could be so close to her while she was in this state, she didn't know.  
Her pale dress was ruined, Granny wasn't going to just have a cow when she saw her, she was going to have the whole barn!  
That was if she ever saw Granny again...  
Rukia was most likely going to turn into one of them now...  
She was going to become a bloodthirsty monster.  
"Ow..." She whimpered as the boy began to kick the wooden gate in rage and jostle her around as he did so.  
"If she was going to turn into one of them! She would have by now! We might be able to cure her!" He shouted angrily at the guards.   
All the words swarming around her mixed into one large dialogue. She heard something about a cure...? No, she's most probably just hearing things! There could be no cure for this! Silly Rukia, she scolded herself as darkness started to cloud her eyes.  
She welcomed it.  
She was ready for death.  
~#~  
Tap. Tap. Tap.  
Tap. Tap. Tap.  
Grab.  
"Dad! She's awake!"  
For the love of God. Rukia's head felt as heavy as a ton of bricks as she tried to lift it from the soft material underneath.  
"You can let go of my wrist now..." A familiar voice said beside her as she cracked a single eye open. "Wow, your eyes..."  
"What about my eyes?!" Rukia sprang upright from the bed and scouted the room she had found herself in. Spotting a cracked mirror in the far corner, she jumped up from the soft mattress and stared at herself.  
Looking at her reflection, nothing much seemed out of the ordinary. But her eyes. Her eyes were no longer the deep cerulean blue they used to. They were now a bright violet colour that was still outlined by her thick dark lashes.  
She brought her right hand up to gently touch a bruise on her cheek. "W-what happened to me?"  
The boy was now standing, he towered over Rukia and the top of his head was adorned with bright orange locks. Some would say he's quite would be quite handsome if it wasn't for the scowl on his features. Rukia felt like she was being scrutinised under his gaze, and she was.  
"You're still recovering, idiot! Don't go jumping around like that." He scolded as he walked over to her. He placed both his hands on her petite shoulders and guided her back over to the bed she was previously in and sitting her down.  
"I-I'm not dead..?" She questioned again as the previous days memories replayed in her head.  
The rogue Infected.  
Getting bitten.  
Not being allowed back into the district.  
"Who are you?! Where am I?! How am I alive?! What has happened to my eyes?!" She stood back up, on her tip toes this time and shouted into the boys face.  
He didn't flinch, nor did he even blink. So Rukia backed down and tried another approach.  
"It was you that killed it?" She asked after taking a few deep breaths and calming herself down.  
"Yes, it was.”  
This boy had saved her life. She owed him. Owed him the unimaginable for saving her.  
"T-thank you."  
~#~  
"You-" He began but was interrupted by an abrupt entry from the wooden door in the far corner of the room.  
"Ichigo! Girl! You're awake!" A bearded man shouted as he charged through the door. He wore simple slacks and a white doctors coat.  
"Shut the hell up old man!" Ichigo, Rukia recalled, walked over to, his father? And covered his whole face with his hand.  
"But-mf I'm here-mf to check-mf on our patient-mf." He said while it was slightly muffled by Ichigo's hand.  
"Oh, fine then."   
Ichigo removed his hand and stood back with his arms crossed over his chest. His father come over to Rukia and began running a few routine tests. He took some blood through a small tube and shone a light in her eyes. He occasionally jotted a few words down on a clipboard and turned back to his examination.  
"Erm, doctor?" Rukia hesitantly spoke up.  
"Isshin Kurosaki." He smiled at her, "And that brooding idiot is my son, Ichigo Kurosaki."  
He pointed to Ichigo who stood behind him with a scowl still plastered on his face.  
"Its nice to meet you, Doctor Kurosaki. My name is Rukia Kuchiki."  
"And its nice to meet you too, Rukia."  
Rukia didn't know what it was about this man, but she liked him and felt comfortable around him. Not like his son, who looked as if he was about to punch someone at any moment.  
"Rukia?" Isshin's voice got louder as she was torn from her thoughts, "I know you most probably don't want to remember much, nor want to reminisce, however we need you to tell us about when you got attacked. Did The Infected look any different from the usual?"  
"I-I'm not sure. I've never seen one so up close before... Doctor Kurosaki?" She asked.  
"Yes, Rukia?"  
"H-how am I still alive?" She looked him deep in the eyes. She could see the tiny specks of dust fall around him and all the small details in his coffee coloured eyes.  
"We suspect that the Infected you got bitten by... Was some sort of prototype from an experiment held within the Seireitei. When you got bitten, your cells didn't react as they should have. They didn't fight off the virus and mutate, as they should have, your cells accepted them and formed together as a sort of 'super cell'." He finished the short explanation with air quotation marks with his fingers.  
It took time to process. She was now some crazy super human monster. Rukia was one of them now, the guards were right. She was as good as dead.  
"To which we have found out that you have healed extremely quickly and your eyes have changed colour. All we need now is for you to tell us how different you feel and what's different from your point of view. It's quite exciting when you think about it!"  
That statement hit a nerve. Rukia's eye began to twitch and she felt an empowering rage at how Doctor Kurosaki found this predicament 'exciting'.  
"Exciting?!" She raged, "This is the furthest thing away from exciting! My life is over because of this damn virus! I'm never going to be able to live my life the way I wanted!" She took a deep breath, "I'm a monster now! I wish you'd left me for dead!"  
Images of Granny ran through her head while her newly violet eyes welled up with tears. It was true. Her life was over, she was a monster now. She would never be able to find a husband, start a family or get a job in this god forsaken world. "My life is over..." She sunk back down and wanted to crawl into herself and become nothing.  
"Stop being so dramatic, midget."  
"Excuse me..?" Rukia looked up through tear filled eyes to meet Ichigo's deep hazel orbs.  
"I said stop being so dramatic." He dead panned, "You've been given another chance at life. You should be grateful, not crawled up, crying and wishing you were dead.”  
"You listen here, berry-head!" Rukia stood up with new found confidence and walked over to the tall boy, "I am grateful, but how do you expect me to live my life knowing that I'm one of them!? That I’m some ‘super-human’ freak, if anyone found out or suspected a thing! I’m done for, I’ll be sent off on the next train to the labs in the Seireitei!" She spat the last words of the sentence with disgust.  
"All I'm saying is that it can't be as bad as it seems! You can heal extremely quickly now and you senses have obviously heightened due to the change in your eye colour! Just deal with it, shrimp!"  
"And how would know?!" Rukia questioned and as soon as Ichigo opened his mouth to answer, a swift kick to his genitals shut him up.  
However as soon as her foot nearly connected with his crotch, Ichigo took her ankle within his grasp and spun her around so that she landed on her side, on the cold wooden floor.  
Getting up immediately, Rukia started flying punches to Ichigo's chest. Occasionally getting a few grunts and 'ow's from him, Rukia felt satisfied just before he moved to the left and swiftly kicked her feet so that she fell to the ground once again.  
"You're quite strong now, midget. However you need to keep an eye on your feet. There a weak point." Ichigo said while holding his hand out to help her up.  
Reluctantly accepting his hand, he pulled her up so that she could stand. His hands were large and calloused, Rukia half expected them to be rough and dirty. However they were soft and from her new vision, she couldn’t spot any dirt under his nails.  
"Well kiddies! When's the wedding?!" Isshin asked all too enthusiastically to the two teenagers in the room.  
"Shut the hell up old man!" Ichigo’s face turned a bright red, while Rukia’s cheeks were dusted with a slight pink tint. Isshin walked past the blushing pair before saying,  
"C'mon Rukia, let's introduce you to the rest of the gang!"  
~#~


	3. Chapter 3

~#~  
"I am eternally grateful to Doctor Kurosaki and his family.  
However I still can't shake this feeling that I'm a monster now. I'm one of them and I can't change that.  
I've been living with the Kurosaki's for a week now. Ichigo has been nicer to me and his two younger sisters are great.  
Doctor Kurosaki is still taking blood on a daily basis and testing me on my new found abilities. My sight has improved greatly and so has my agility, which has proved to be rather helpful when Ichigo would call me 'midget'.  
My ability to heal has also come in quite handy, Doctor Kurosaki believes its because my newly formed cells may have some kind of specialised genome within them, in which it wants to save and nurture its host body.  
Doctor Kurosaki also took me to the outskirts of the district a few days ago to see an old friend of his, he ran some tests, poked and prodded me. He didn't come up with any different explanation than was Doctor Kurosaki did."  
~#~  
"Can I stop running yet?" Rukia asked the blonde haired man after she had finished her 74th lap around the large field that lay being the small shack they were previously in.  
"Nuh uh, keep running my dear Rukia~!" Kisuke Urahara told her in a sing-song tune while fanning himself. With a groan of laziness, Rukia began running again while Kisuke turned back to Isshin.  
"So what do you think, Kisuke?"  
"She's an oddity, Isshin." Kisuke replied with a sigh, "She has extraordinary strength and resilience for a girl her age and stature. I got Jinta to 'accidentally' drop a knife on her foot earlier and she merely shrugged, pulled it out and healed within a matter of seconds."  
"Why are you hurting my future daughter-in-law?!" Isshin raged, "However, she has become quite accustomed to her new abilities. She might not even see herself as a monster any more."  
"Eh hem!"  
Kisuke and Isshin slowly turned their heads towards the small shack. Yoruichi Shihoin stood in the doorway in all her royal glory. Her long purple hair was tied up in its usual ribbon, while she wore a simple white silk dressing gown which contrasted beautifully against her dark skin.  
"Oh hello my beautiful kitten!" Kisuke swooned as he made kissing faces towards the woman.  
"Shut it, Kisuke." She pushed the man, who was now bowing down at her feet, away with her bare foot, "And Isshin? Who is that girl?" Yoruichi point her chin in the direction of Rukia who was running at the farthest end of the field.  
"Rukia Kuchiki. She is temporarily staying with my family while she recovers." Isshin's face turned serious at his words.  
"Kuchiki?"  
"That's what she told us." He replied.  
"Hm..." Yoruichi pondered for a short while before turning on her heel and walking back into the shack without saying another word.  
~#~  
Walking through the muddy streets of the 48th Rukongai, Rukia and Isshin reached the small wooden house/clinic that belonged to the Kurosaki family.  
Rukia was grateful that they had let her move in while she 'recovered', Isshin had told Granny that Rukia was in quarantine because of her run in with an Infected. Of course Granny was understanding and told Isshin to keep her as long as they needed. Ichigo was also a great help too, he offered to go round and cook Granny food and collect her firewood for her. The pair had grown close in the past week, they would frequently spar together and bicker like an old married couple. Rukia felt like she had finally found a friend and someone she could relate too.  
She pushed open the heavy wooden door and the smell of home cooked stew hit Rukia's nostrils and her mouth immediately started to water. Yuzu's cooking was truly remarkable and a bowl never went un-emptied on the table and dinner times went on like a show. Isshin would play the clown, Yuzu the peacemaker and Karin the annoyed teenager. While Ichigo sat opposite Rukia and would occasionally kick her shin under the table and ask her what she was thinking about, and tonight was no different.  
"Hey Midget, what’s up?" Ichigo half whispered, half shouted at her from across the small table.  
Looking up from her bowl, Rukia dead panned the orange haired man and replied,   
"Nothing."  
He didn't buy it. He never would. In this short week they had practically joined by the hip, Ichigo learnt all of her bad habits and when she was lying or telling the truth. "Not buying it, Shrimp."  
"Well buy it, Berry-head! Because nothing is wrong!" She slammed her palms down on the surface which drew an eery silence from the rest of the room. All eyes were on her, it was fight or flight.  
And she ran. Not far, only up the stairs and onto the roof in which she could climb onto from Ichigo's bedroom window. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she didn't understand why. Everything was so overwhelming, it was hard to keep level headed. She jumped off the roof and landed gracefully on her feet. The sun was completely set and the moon illuminated the dirt streets. Rukia's bare feet didn't feel the cold as she walked along in the mud, occasionally stepping on a stone or potato left buy the market sellers during the day.  
Turning down every dark alley and towards a very dodgy looking tavern, Rukia felt no fear, no pain, no cold.  
Nothing.  
Her heart was a void space in her chest. It was blackened and tainted, no one would ever want her, nor accept her. She was 'as good as dead'. The bite mark on her forearm stung slightly underneath her white, long sleeve dress that Yuzu had kindly donated to her.   
She could hear something behind her, thanks to her heightened senses and they were getting closer and closer.  
She was being followed.  
Her breathing shallowed and she became hyper aware of her movements with every step she took. The only sounds she could hear were the slight squelching of the mud below her feet and a tiny rustle every now and again behind her. Her violet orbs darted from side to side, trying to look behind herself without turning around fully.  
Crash!  
"Who's there?!" Rukia demanded while spinning around and taking a defensive stance.  
"Woah woah woah, pretty lady! We only followed you so we can have some fun." A random drunkard came walking out of the small alley just off to Rukia's right. He was closely followed by a tall man with long, shaggy hair and tattoos and a man with a lazy grin and sheer white hair.  
The three stumbled out of the alley and stood across from Rukia. They wore sloppy, yet aroused expressions and rubbed themselves inappropriately as they stared at her.  
Disgusted by their clear lack of respect and decency, Rukia warned the trio while looking through her dark bangs,  
"Leave me alone for the sake of your own damned life."  
~#~  
Ichigo watched the small, dark figure jump from the second story window and onto the dirt street  
below.  
“Damn it...” He cursed while turning on his heels and walking out of his bedroom. His feet soon found the top step and he descended into the lower portion of the house.  
“Ichi-nii?” Yuzu asked, “What’s wrong with Rukia-chan?”  
“Erm, she’s gone out for a walk.” Ichigo shrugged and took his seat at the table. He tried to keep his eyes on the bowl in front of him, however Ichigo knew that his father was giving him the ‘look’ Ichigo knew all too well.  
“Eh-hem!” Isshin caught the orange-head's attention, “You know what you need to do, Ichigo.”  
“Damn it old man! You’re the one that's supposed to be taking care of her, not me!” The teen whined as his hands slammed on the table and his chair got pushed from under him.  
Ichigo walked over to the cupboard under the stairs and pulled out an object that he would clearly need and begrudged using. “You owe me for this!” He shouted as the door slammed shut.  
Isshin sat at the head of the small table a chuckled to himself, “That idiot” he thought while shovelling some more food in his mouth.  
~#~  
The shaggy haired man was the first to approach Rukia, his steps lacked enthusiasm and his arms swung limply at his sides. He walked up to Rukia and stood in front of her, due to her lacking in the height department, the man bent down slightly so that his face as less than an inch away from hers. He opened his mouth to speak, but before his words could reach his larynx, Rukia’s fist came slamming down on his cheek.  
As soon as her fist connected with the hard bone, she swung her left leg around so that it swiftly hit the bottom of his rib-cage. The man stumbled in a blind panic and wildly flung and punched his arms around in hope to hit Rukia. When his right arm had eventually gotten the correct course in order to make contact with her, Rukia quickly knelt down onto the ball of her left foot, the momentum from dropping to the ground and extending her right leg out gave her enough power to spin herself around and connect her foot with the man’s ankles and take his legs out from underneath him.  
“You little..!” He shouted before his head whacked against the floor and lost consciousness.  
Straightening up, Rukia brushed her hands on her not so white dress and looked at her two other opponents. She squinted her violets eyes slightly to try and size them up, the man who was first to walk out of the alley seemed to be shaking slightly and opening his mouth as if he were to say something and this annoyed Rukia to no end.  
“If you’re going to say something, just spit it out!” She shouted at the man while her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. The drunken man let out a very high pitched scream and fell on his backside, he began to scramble backwards and eventually got up to his feet and turned to run away.  
“You’re on your own Rin!” He shouted to the white haired man while re ran back down the alley.  
“Fucking pussy.” The man- Rin -mumbled as he brought his hand up to the handle of the katana Rukia didn’t see that he had strapped to his waist. Pulling the sheer white katana from its sheath, Rin took an offensive stance and was ready to attack.  
Before Rukia had time to even think about how she was going to attack him or better yet, defend herself, the white haired man was running at her full pelt with his katana raised above his head. He swung down intending to strike Rukia’s head, however she quickly managed to step to the left and punch him in the gut.  
Not doing much damage, Rukia swung her fist blindly in front of herself to block an oncoming attack from the sword wielder. The snow white blade harshly cut into her forearm like a hot knife to butter and Rukia screamed out in pain.  
Realising that he now had the better end of the stick and that Rukia was know in defence rather than offensive, Rin took his chance to cut the girl down as much as he could.  
He swung the katana left, right and centre, catching Rukia off guard as she held her arm in front of her face to try and block the blade. The blade left deep scarlet cuts all over her skin.  
“The cuts my katana leave on your sweet pale skin are quite like the ribbons you would get on that special birthday present off your favourite relative.” He called out like a maniac between slashes, “I would have loved to get a little present like your for my birthday! How sweet and innocent you must be!”  
He carried on attacking Rukia, once the slightly older cuts would heal, new ones would immediately take their place. Rukia felt like she was stuck on a never ending train track, one that would go around on a loop and the doors would never open to let her off. It was just attack after attack after attack, there was never an opening for her to counter-attack or flee.  
Then it stopped.  
Rukia cracked a single eye open to see Rin stood in front of her with a jet black blade sticking through his chest. Blood from the fatal wound had splattered onto Rukia’s cheek and it was erupting from the wound like a volcano. The katana slipped through his fingertips and landed upright in the mud below.  
It was a shame seeing the contrast between such a beautifully pristine blade being used for senseless killing and now it was stuck in the mud below societies feet. People would now look down at that blade, just because it had fallen into unfortunate circumstances. It was quite like how Rukia felt.  
Though no one knew of her ‘powers’ she still felt as if society and the world would look down on her and judge her just because of this silly little rut she had fallen unwillingly into. It wasn’t her fault, it’s not like she asked to be bitten by one of them things, it’s just life. It’ll bring to you down, however it will teach you powerful lessons without you even realising it and now Rukia knew what she had to do.  
Instead of wallowing in the past and regretting going out that day to collect firewood, she would right her wrongs and try and rid this world of the Infected. It was going to be hard, she knew that however maybe if she left the Rukongai, Rukia might be able to find salvation and start a new life!  
“Oi!” A voice was pulling her away from her thoughts, however Rukia’s eyes stayed plastered on the katana.  
“Oi! Midget!” Oh, great. Rukia knew that nickname could only have left one person’s mouth. And that person was going to pay a severe price for following her.  
“Hey, Berry-head!” Rukia started while pulling her eyes away from the katana, “Did no one ever teach you that only stalkers and perverts follow girls around at night.”  
Moving her head to the right so that she could get a better look at him, Rukia saw a sight she did not want to see. Ichigo was stood in his usual attire, however the front of his clothes were blood soaked and in his left hand he held a jet black katana. The same blade that killed the man who now lay limp at Rukia’s feet. Rukia’s previous mocking tone had completely vanished as she asked,  
“I-Ichigo, did you kill that man?”  
“You can thank me later, Midget.” He replied while shrugging his shoulders and turning on his heels.  
~#~


	4. Chapter 4

"Maybe one day I’d return.  
Maybe one day I could live a normal life.  
But for now, that wouldn’t be the case.  
I have to leave.  
For the good of mankind."  
~#~  
"Thank you."  
"It's okay."  
Rukia sat on the wooden bathroom floor with the wall against her back and the door to her left. Ichigo, on the other side of the door, most probably in the same position as the raven haired girl.  
They had recently returned back to find an empty house and a short note from Ichigo's father, telling them that they had gone to Urahara's for a short while. Rukia had decided to take a bath and begrudgingly talk to Ichigo about what had happened. However, she found herself talking to him about it through the wooden bathroom door while she sat, stark naked and shivering on the floor talking about how she just had a fight with a group of drunk grown men.  
And she really was thankful to Ichigo, who knows what might have happened if he hadn't shown up. Well actually, she probably would have turned it back around and murdered the guy. A smug smile grew on her face as she looked across the floor and her eyes lay on the katana that she had propped up against the wall opposite her.  
The same smile dropped from her face suddenly as she asked, "Is it right for me to keep this katana?”  
From behind the door, Ichigo was deep in thought, if he hadn't gone after Rukia she might have died and that was something he didn't want on his conscious.  
"If you'd like too." Was his simple reply. His eyes turned towards the wooden door and he idly traced the small grooves that had been indented into the wood after many years of dealing with the Kurosaki family. Rukia had only been staying with them for a short while, yet she had made such a large impact on their lives.  
Yuzu was ecstatic to have another girl around the house, someone to cook and go to the market with her. Karin had a person other than her brother to spar with a kick around the old leather ball that she had and his father… What could Ichigo say about the oldest Kurosaki, he had grown attached to Rukia in a similar way of student and teacher but with a little more family love, in a sense?  
Yet Ichigo didn't know how he felt about her. He wasn't into the whole 'feelings' thing and did not way want to dwell on that uncharted part of his heart, however he appreciated her presence around the house, even though her smallness and smug way of talking to people aggravated him to no end.  
But he wouldn't have it any other way.  
A slight creak reached Ichigo's ears and he was pulled from his thoughts by Rukia peering around the door. Her long wet hair shaped her heart-shaped face while small droplets of water dripped off her chin. Her violet eyes were staring at him with a questioning gaze.  
"Ichigo?" She asked, "Are you listen to me?"  
Her gaze turned from angelic to angry midget in a matter of seconds and Ichigo's scowl returned. "'Course I did."  
"What did I say then?"  
"T-that… You, erm…" He stuttered while bringing his arm up and scratching the back of his head.  
"No. Of course you didn't listen to me!" She scolded, "I said that… I think I'm going to leave the Rukongai for a little while…"  
"What?" Ichigo blurted out without giving the sentence time to process in his mind.  
"I just feel like leaving for a short while, what am I supposed to do here, Ichigo?" She hugged her bare legs tighter towards her chest and leant her chin on her knees before carrying on. "I want to leave and find my own feet. It's not like I can't take care of myself and I think I'm going to look for a place that Granny told me about… Outside the walls…"  
Rukia whispered those last three words, it was silly that she was even thinking about going outside the walls, let alone looking for a place Granny told her about from a book that she had had from when she was a little girl.  
"What place?"  
"Erm, it doesn't matter! Forget I said anything!" Her pale skin suddenly erupting in a deep scarlet and she tried to push the bathroom door shut again.  
"Rukia!" Ichigo places his hand on the door and refused to let her shut it. "Rukia, what are you talking about?"  
What did she mean? She really didn't know herself, maybe she wouldn't survive outside the wall, but many people had themselves. There were many tribes outside the large brick walls that had lived and fought against the Infected and won. This place Granny told her about was most probably fiction, a story made up from the silly imaginings of a wall fevered lunatic. But somebody had to hold hope, right?  
The pair fought with the door for a short while before Rukia gave up. She was too tired to have silly scuffles with Ichigo at the moment and had too much on her mind. As soon as she stepped back from the door, she quickly pulled a towel from the stool next to the bath and wrapped it around her small figure.  
Ichigo pushed the door open so that it hit the wall on the other side, “Rukia! What are you talking about?!”  
“It doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that I am leaving, so tell your father that I am eternally grateful for everything he has done for me.” She looked down at the floor, “And thank you to you too, Ichigo. For saving me that day…”  
“Rukia…”  
The raven haired girl stepped forward and wrapped her small arms around Ichigo’s waist. Needless to say, the boy was shocked. Ichigo stood with his arms extended at each side of him looking at the top of the head of the small girl clinging to him. A dripping wet, barely clothed girl at that.  
Ichigo dropped his arms and slowly brought his hand up to stroke her wet hair. They stayed like that for a few moments before Rukia suddenly pulled away and walked into the bedroom that she had been staying in.  
Breathing deeply, Rukia shut the door behind her and leant back into it. She closed her eyes and softly banged her head a couple of times before collecting her thoughts and steadying her breath.  
“Get a grip, Rukia.” She muttered under her breath before stripping off her towel and putting on a white dress from a set of drawers near the window. Rukia then took a small canvas bag from under the bed a put in a few bare essentials that had been brought to the Kurosaki house from Granny’s.  
Pulling open the bedroom door to an empty hallway didn’t surprise Rukia, she knew Ichigo would be downstairs pacing until his feet bled.  
And she was right.  
Ichigo walked the length of the living room for the nth time as Rukia silently walked down the old, creaking staircase.  
“I guess you really are leaving then.” He said while looking down at her petite form.  
“Sure am.”  
“I would say you’ll die out there, but you won’t.”   
Letting out a mixture between a sigh and laugh, Rukia said,  
“Well I’m glad you’re not too mad, fool.”  
“Whatever, midget.” He retorted while a slight blush dusted his cheeks.  
The two teens stood for a short moment. It seemed like as soon as they had gotten back from the fight, they had struggled to find something to talk about. Ichigo stared at the old, chipped floorboards while Rukia eyed the white katana that was being held within his hand. She slowly reached out and gently took the weapon from Ichigo's grasp and turned her back to him.  
Placing one nervous foot in front of the other, Rukia walked over to the door and twisted the old brass handle. It was cold and heavy within the palm of her hand, yet she gently twisted and pulled the door open.  
Ichigo heard the old hinges groan in expiration as the front door was opened and a cold breeze wrapped itself around his ankles.  
“See you later, Ichigo.”  
~#~  
A small cottage lit up in the horizon as Rukia walked along the dirt road she had grown up walking along. It was the only light in the distance and her destination. Upon reaching the old building, old memories replayed through her mind.  
Memories of running through the long-grass fields that surrounded her home, while the sun burnt her small shoulders and nose. She could remember Granny shouting at her as she studied the large ant-hill in the middle of the courtyard, that dinner was ready. She could remember the times when everything was normal and simple.  
Pulling herself away from those better times, she opened the front door and said,  
“Granny? It's me, it's Rukia.” She listened out for a reply while pulling off her muddy boots, hanging her bag on one the the coat hooks and propping her new sword against the wall. Turning around to look through the doorway that led into the living room, she looked around the empty room to find that nothing had changed in the weeks she had be gone.  
Just as Rukia started looking at the books that stood proudly on the shelf above the fireplace, she heard a crash from the kitchen.  
“Granny?” The raven haired girl called out again before rushing out of the room and heading towards the kitchen. She was greeted by the old woman stood with a rolling pin held firmly in her hands and pointed straight at Rukia. “Granny, you're not going to do much harm with a rolling pin.” She smiled at the woman before reaching out to take the rolling pin out of her grasp.  
“Get away from me!” She shouted at Rukia, “I told you not to come back here! You traitor!”  
“Granny? It's Rukia!” Rukia stared wide-eyed at the woman who had brought her up, “Who are you talking about?”  
The old lady blinked a few times before shaking her head from side to side and looking straight back at Rukia. “Ah, Rukia my darling! I've missed you so much.” She pulled the small girl into a tight embrace. Rukia was shocked at her sudden change in demeanour, however she hugged Granny back with enthusiasm since she was equally as happy to be home. Even if it was for a very short while.  
“I'll make some tea, Granny.” Rukia pulled back and smiled, “You go sit down in the living room.”  
The old woman agreed and hobbled out of the kitchen while Rukia made preparations in making some tea. After the water had boiled, Rukia picked up the tray she had set everything out on and took it into the living room where Granny was waiting.  
As Rukia entered the room, Granny was sat smiling at her with a certain book lay in her lap. The petite girls eyes widened as she noticed said book and nearly slammed the try down on the low table in the middle of the room.  
“I had a feeling you'd come for this, sooner or later.” Granny whispered while gently caressing the leather exterior of the book.  
“Granny, how did you know?” Rukia replied in a soft voice as she poured the tea.  
“Ever since that kind boy started coming round to help me.”  
“Ah, Ichigo...”  
“He was very nice.” Granny smiled at her, “I'm surprised you didn't stay with the family for longer.”  
“I need to go somewhere.” Rukia replied, thinking how true the older woman's words were.  
“I know you do darling. I knew you'd remember the stories I told you when you were a child, you need to go find the people who are just like you now.” She looked down to the ground and a single tear dropped from her eye and rolled over her wrinkled flesh.  
“I'm going to be fine Granny. You've read about the tribes and how they purposefully Infect people and what kind of abilities they get.”  
Sitting down on one of the plush chairs, Rukia picked the flesh around her fingernails in nervousness. She didn't really want to go, however she knew deep down that she needed too. To learn how to use her new found abilities to there fullest potential and possible help people in the future. To help people like Ichigo and his family. People like Granny and people who lived in the district who are ridiculed by the Squads.  
“Granny,” Rukia started after a few moments of silence. “Who's the traitor you were talking about when I came in?”  
The old woman looked up at Rukia with wide eyes and a shocked expression. “What do you remember about your sister?”  
“My sister...?” Granny nodded in reply. “Wh-who is she?”  
“Her name is Hisana...”  
“I know that.” Rukia interrupted.  
“Rukia. She left you with me and you were a grateful surprise, she then left to go north.”  
“Up north towards the Sereitei?”  
“Yes, she briefly told me about how she had met a captain. A captain who was going to take care of her, however she couldn't take you along. She put of the marriage to find you a good home.”  
“Oh, I'm so glad about that.” Rukia rolled her eyes as she said her sarcastic comment.  
“She cared about you, even though you were so young. You know that she could have easily left you in a dangerous alley of the district and left you for dead.” Granny said in a sad tone.  
Rukia knew it was true. She was grateful that Hisana found her a good home and she was blessed to have been brought by a person like Granny.  
“A captain?” She asked.  
“Yes, a captain of one of the squads. I'm not sure which squad however, like I said, she briefly told me about it all.”  
Rukia was annoyed by it all, how could her own sister leave her?! Then go off to marry a captain? A captain that would've given her a better live, but a better life without her family? Who could wish for that, who could want a life without the last remaining slither of family you have in this horrible world?  
Without vocalising it, Rukia vowed to get revenged. It was a horrible thing to want to get revenge on your family, however Rukia wanted it, no, she needed it. She needed to confront Hisana and this captain, just to get closure on the subject. She thought about the squads and how they had created the virus, how they could create such a thing and ruin her life.  
“Granny.” Rukia said, “I need to go. But I'll be back and when I do, I'll come and see you. I promise.”  
“I know. Go and get strong Rukia.” Granny smiled at her.  
Rukia stood up and walked towards the front door, picking up her bag and katana. She turned around and said,  
“I love you.”  
“And I love you too, Rukia.” Granny replied while hugging the petite girl.  
Rukia pulled herself out of the hug and opened the door, walking into the cold night she turned around the see Granny stood at the doorstep of the small cottage. She made her way through town until the large gate was in her view.  
The gate was tight shut as Rukia placed her hand on it, not even her strength could open. So she made her way to the small wooden door at the side where the guards would mast probably be getting drunk. She knocked on the door and waited.  
A pink faced man opened the small hatch in the middle of the door and asked,  
“What?!”  
“I need to get out.” Rukia dead panned.  
“Tough shit, you can't.”  
“Please?” She tried.  
“No.” And with that, the guard closed the hatch and the shouting commenced within the room.  
Having no patience, Rukia kicked the door with all her might and it flew of its hinges and into the room of shocked men,  
“I said, I need to get out.” She smiled as sweetly as she could at the men, hoping that this approach may work.  
“And why do you thing we'll let a small, twelve year old girl out of the walls?” A beefy man stepped forward with a wooden mug within his grasp. That statement hit a nerve, Rukia's eye started to twitch with anger as she ground out,  
“Do I really look twelve years old?” She didn't wait a for reply as she kicked the mug out of his hand and then round-house punched him square in the jaw. “Now, is somebody going to open the damn gate?!”  
The guards fumbled around and few of them fell off their stools at Rukia's voice, they ran outside and started pulling up the gate from the large wheel like contraption that spun around. The old gate creaked and groaned at the pressure it was under. It opened though, only about a meter for Rukia to roll under. However she couldn't move. Her feet were stuck to the ground underneath her as the guards shouted at her to move.  
It wasn't nerves, it was realisation. Realisation that she was starting a new life outside the walls and that she wouldn't have to confine to the rules any more. It was a strange and uplifting reverie, one that Rukia couldn’t wait to start. She quickly rolled underneath the gate then got up to her feet. Rukia stepped into the open air and saw figures walking around her, figures that didn’t seem to bat an eyelash at her.   
Taking a deep breath, she ran towards the forest in front of her.  
~#~


End file.
